Friday, December 30, 2011

roasted garlic

have you ever tried roasted garlic? it is simply amazingly delicious! it is very sweet when roasted and doesn't taste like garlic at all.

we love to have roasted garlic with toast and fruit. it makes a delicious snack on a cold wintery evening.

what you'll need for the garlic:

as many bulbs of garlic as you like (i usually eat a whole bulb of garlic with this snack!)
a good dollop of olive oil
sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper

additional ingredients (if desired):

toast/crackers to smear the garlic on
brie cheese
some pieces of fruit (if so desired - we like grapes, cherries, apple, pear, etc.)
some jam (if desired - i will share my cranberry-pear-apple jam below)

peel the majority of the skin from your garlic bulbs but keep the bulb intact as seen below. cut only the very tops off of the garlic.



put the bulbs on a baking pan/sheet and dump a good dollop of olive oil on them. add sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper. pop in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. just enough time to make the jam!



cranberry/pear/apple jam spread

an inch of fresh ginger, crushed
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of water
1/2 cup of cranberries
1 pear, chopped
1 apple chopped
1 teaspoon of freshly ground clove
1 teaspoon of freshly ground cinnamon
one teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of lemon zest

add sugar and water to your pot and bring to a boil to make a syrup. once at a boil add your cranberries, pear and apple. bring back to a boil.



once back to the boil, simmer for 3-4 minutes until 2/3 of the cranberries have popped.

grind up your cloves. add them to the pot.



grind up your cinnamon and add it to the pot.



add the vanilla, ginger and lemon zest.

here's the brie...i like brie the best with roasted garlic. heat it at 350 until the centre gets all melty - 3-4 minutes.



here's the jam ready to be eaten!



check out how delicious the garlic looks!



and here's the finished plate. each clove of garlic squirts right out of it's little jacket and then becomes very spreadable.



i like to smear some garlic on each piece of toast, followed by brie, followed by jam. you can eat yours however you like. just be sure to enjoy!

7 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Tango - i love brie too...actually i love any kind of cheese!

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  2. Do you grow garlic, Kymber? I might wanna, but someone told me it takes over the garden. Hmmmm. . . maybe in a container?

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    Replies
    1. Kathi - i designate a particular raised bed for the garlic - that way they stay there. but if you are planting them in the ground, then you may want to move the garlic garden far from other gardens. and yes - they will do fantastic in containiers!

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  3. mmmmm....sounds good! I've never had brie heated, only cold, but I bet it's good warmed up!

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  4. We had an exchange student from Tajikistan this past year who made for us their national dish "plov". It is a perfectly seasoned rice with beef or lamb, matchstick carrots and whole bulbs of roasted garlic as "garnish". What a delight...I will miss our student, and I guess I better say MORE than plov. Although it's a tough call !

    Kris
    http://krissimplyliving.blogspot.com

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  5. I wanted to mention (in between internet glitches) that your roasted garlic is a lovely idea. I often include whole cloves in roasted vegetables, but like this idea as a tasty addition to a meal.

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